This Week in Mobile: The Apple Live Roundup

This Week in Mobile brings you the latest news about everything mobile every week. Check back every Monday at 1 pm to get a roundup of the latest news about technology, app development and more, curated for you.

This week’s theme is Apple aftermath. By now we all know what Apple announced and we’ve all drawn our own conclusions about whether the products are fresh and innovation or just another Android ripoff.

All things considered, we would give the keynote a solid B+. Nothing overly ground-breaking was announced but I don’t think anyone was really expecting a ‘…And one more thing’ mic drop moment.

Despite that, the conference had good showings for the iPad Pro, Apple Pencil and of course, the AppleTV. But then again, Apple could probably make a toaster look exciting at one of their keynotes. So I’m dedicated This Week in Mobile to focus on impressions of Apple’s latest, rather than just the news.

Now, time to get you informed!

The Apple Roundup

Jokes aside, for $99, the Apple Pencil looks like a great tool for creatives. With precise pressure sensitivity and low latency tracing, the Apple Pencil delivers a smooth and intuitive drawing experience that a regular stylus just cannot compete with.

Who knows if the Apple Pencil would even be around today if Steve Jobs was still alive, but for what it’s worth, the Apple Pencil will probably do big business from students and professional designers alike.

This year’s iOS upgrade might not have blown minds like some years past, but all hype aside, iOS 9 could shape up to the be one of most interesting new developments for UI functionality in years.

Borrowing from the Apple Watch’s Force Touch, Apple brings the same pressure-sensitive tech over to iOS 9 under the new name, 3D Touch. 3D Touch allows users to interact in a whole new way with their iPhone.

But Apple’s usage of 3D Touch is only the beginning. With this tech becoming available to developers worldwide, you’ll see more and more new, innovative ways 3D Touch can be utilized.

From games to productivity, 3D Touch’s potential is limitless.

Unfortunately, 3D Touch will only be available for the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S+ so if you want to test the functionality yourself you’ll have to shell out for a new iPhone or visit your local Apple Store; or just ask a friend – I think we all have that one friend who just needs to get the latest iPhone every year.

If you came into Apple’s fall event looking for surprise announcements, look no further. Apple’s new iPhone upgrade program was definitely not covered in the usual rumormill that’s churned out in the leadup to their events.

In short, Apple’s iPhone upgrade program gives you the option to get the latest iPhone by paying into, essentially, a 24-month loan (after 12 payments you receive a new iPhone) by Apple.

Sounds great….so what’s the catch? The upgrade program starts at $32.21/month, and that’s for a 16GB iPhone 6S. If you’re interested in a 128GB iPhone 6S+ (now that’s a mouth-full), the plan goes up to $44.91/month. And that’s on top of your monthly phone bill.

But the big question we’re all asking remains: is the program worth it’s hefty price tag? Luckily, AppAdvice gives a pretty in-depth breakdown of the upgrades program cost and how it stacks up against the 2-year contracts of other suppliers.

…And in other news

Let this be a lesson to those, how to put this gently, small-minded enough to manually install an app called ‘Adult Player’ to their Android device.

First spotted by security firm, Zscaler, ‘Adult Player’ apparently silently photographs the user while they…you know… in hopes of black-mailing them for a stiff $500. Once ‘Adult Player’ has secured its dirt, a message appears on screen demanding the $500 is permanently fixed onto your phones screen until the ransom is paid – no amount of rebooting will remove the message from your screen.

While very illegal and just plain wrong, you have to admire how cunning the ruse is.

Did Apple’s announcement satisfy your craving for the new? Are you excited for Augmented Reality Pokémon hunting? Sound off in the comment and let us know!

Check back next Monday at 1 pm for the latest tech news curated for you.